HTML delivery from edge-of-network servers in a content delivery network (CDN)

• US 7,996,533 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2009
• Issued: 08/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Lewin, Daniel M., Leighton, F. Thomson
• Primary Examiner(s): NEURAUTER, GEORGE C
• Application Number:
  US12/567,747
• Publication Number:
  US 20100011107A1
• Time in Patent Office: 682 Days
• Field of Search: 709/219, 709/226, 709/235, 707/999.01, 718/105
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/04 Processing captured monitoring data, e.g. for logfile generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/45 Network directories; Name-to-address mapping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1008 based on parameters of servers, e.g. available memory or workload monitoring of computer activity G06F11/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1021 based on client or server locations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching

Abstract

A content delivery network is enhanced to provide for delivery of cacheable markup language content files such as HTML. To support HTML delivery, the content provider provides the CDNSP with an association of the content provider'"'"'s domain name (e.g., www.customer.com) to an origin server domain name (e.g., html.customer.com) at which one or more default HTML files are published and hosted. The CDNSP provides its customer with a CDNSP-specific domain name. The content provider, or an entity on its behalf, then implements DNS entry aliasing (e.g., a CNAME of the host to the CDNSP-specific domain) so that domain name requests for the host cue the CDN DNS request routing mechanism. This mechanism then identifies a best content server to respond to a request directed to the customer'"'"'s domain. The CDN content server returns a default HTML file if such file is cached; otherwise, the CDN content server directs a request for the file to the origin server to retrieve the file, after which the file is cached on the CDN content server for subsequent use in servicing other requests. The content provider is also provided with log files of CDNSP-delivered HTML.

Claims

1. A method of integrating a content provider site into a content delivery network (CDN) and delivering a markup language page of the content provider site from a particular content server of a set of content servers in the CDN, wherein the CDN is operated by a CDN service provider (CDNSP) distinct from participating content providers who use the CDN, the CDN having a domain name service comprising a set of name servers that are authoritative for content domains associated with the participating content providers, the method comprising:

(a) integrating the content provider site into the content delivery network (CDN) using the following sub-steps;

(i) receiving, by the CDNSP, a domain name associated with the markup language page, the domain name identifying an origin server associated with the content provider, the origin server being distinct from the CDN; and

(ii) providing, by the CDNSP, a CDNSP-specific domain that points to the CDN domain name service and that is adapted to be associated with the domain name;

(b) delivering the markup language page from the CDN using the following sub-steps;

(i) following an end-user request for the markup language page that is directed to the domain name, resolving the CDNSP-specific domain by a particular name server of the set of name servers in the CDN domain name service, wherein as a result of the resolving step the particular content server of the set of content servers in the CDN is identified;

(ii) at the particular content server, determining whether an entry associated with the markup language page exists on the particular content server;

(iii) if an entry associated with the markup language page exists on the particular content server, and in response to the end-user request, serving the markup language page from the particular content server;

(iv) if an entry associated with the markup language page does not exist on the particular content server, using the domain name received by the CDNSP in step (a)(i) to direct a new request for the markup language page from the particular content server;

(v) receiving the markup language page at the particular content server in response to the new request; and

(vi) serving the markup language page received in step (b)(v) from the particular content server in response to the end-user request.

2. The method as described in claim 1 wherein step (b) further includes:

(vii) caching the markup language page received at the particular content server in step (b)(v) for a given time.

3. The method as described in claim 1 wherein step (b) further includes:

(vii) logging data associated with the markup language page served from the particular content server.

4. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the domain name is received by the CDNSP from the content provider, and the CDN-specific domain is provided by the CDNSP to the content provider to complete the integrating step.

5. The method as described in claim 1 further including delivering at least one object associated with the markup language page from the CDN following the serving of the markup language page.

6. The method as described in claim 5 wherein the at least one object is a media stream.

7. The method as described in claim 1 wherein step (b)(ii) examines a time-to-live (TTL) value.

8. The method as described in claim 3 wherein the data comprises a number of page views.

9. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the markup language page is formatted according to one of:

HTML, XML, HDML, and WML.

10. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the particular name server of the set of name servers in the CDN domain name service resolves the CDN-specific domain to identify an IP address of the particular content server of the set of content servers.

11. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the new request includes the domain name identifying the origin server associated with the content provider.